Jasmine Villa, Kalkan | Cover| Introduction | Pictures | Prices | Availability | Contact me |

The Villa

The Villa itself draws its inspiration from the Ottoman style prevalent all over the Levant, examples of which can still be seen in the Old part of Kalkan. The feel is traditional, simple but definitely not uncomfortable. Outside everything is cool stone. Inside, the décor is plain and understated; cool colours and cool marble flooring throughout. Turkish marble is amongst the most outstanding in the world. Cedar wood is what the doors and windows are made of. The arrangement and orientation of the house were chosen to make absolutely the most of the stunning sea views. All sea-facing rooms accordingly open through several sets of shuttered French windows. Bedrooms are downstairs, living areas upstairs and outside and the utility rooms, kitchen and bathrooms, at the back or below; an arrangement which means that, during waking hours, the superb landscape, whether sea or mountain, is never far from your eye.

From Spring to Autumn at least, a large part of your time will be spent outside. The extensive terracing and landscaping affords a different ambience for every mood; vine covered sitting areas giving a sun-dappled shadow; the deep shade at the back of the house affording welcome relief on a baking afternoon in high summer; a table under a tree; or the suntrap stone terracing around the pool.

Through the western extremity of the plot, a winter torrent flows sporadically from November to April, depending on the rainfall in the mountains behind Kalkan.

Entrance and Hall

All ground floor rooms lead on to the hall which also gives onto the staircase to the top floor. The front door opens off it and leads down the diagonal steps to the pool. There is an Aircon unit.

Top floor

The stairs lead from the ground floor hall to the lounge, 5.5m by 4m. There are 2 large and very soft settees, one of which converts to a double bed, a coffee table, a music system and very little else except an aircon unit. On each of the two sea facing sides a pair of double French windows leads to a large terrace each equipped with a table and chairs and shade, one being 6m by 5m, the other 5m by 5m. The lofty position of these terraces offers a wonderful view of the bay and the islands. Loungers may be brought up for sunbathing.

Bedroom one

A door from the hall leads in. The room is 5.5m by 3.5m and is air conditioned. There are two windows and a further 2 double French windows which lead seaward to the terrace which extends all around the villa. A table and chairs are available.

Bedroom two

A door from the hall leads in. The room is 5m by 3.5m and is air conditioned. There are three double French windows, which lead towards the sea and the pool and sidewards to the terrace. A table and chairs are available.

Bedroom three

A door from the hall leads in. The room is 4.5m by 3.5m and is air conditioned. There is a window and a door, which leads to the wide terrace at the side of the villa. A table and chairs are available.

Bedrooms one and three have 2 single beds, which may be positioned as required. Bedroom two has a double bed. Sheets, 2 pillows and pillow cases per person, blankets and duvets are provided. There is a chest of drawers, a wardrobe and mirror in each.

Bathroom one

Also off the hall is the main bathroom. There is a full size bath with shower above, a wash basin with large mirrors and toilet. Towels are provided.

Kitchen

The modern fitted kitchen is air conditioned and offers everything that is required for your stay. It opens to the rear terrace. There are plenty of store cupboards and work surfaces. There is a sink, top hob with 4 gas burners, fridge with icebox, pots, pans, kitchen utensils, twelve sets of cutlery and crockery and glass and everything else you might need.

Basement

Reached by a low door (mind your head), the large basement contains a washing machine a second fridge for beer, water, melons etc., storage space and an ironing board and iron and also the second bathroom. It has a spacious shower cubicle, washbasin, mirror and toilet, and, although it has no bath, is fitted in the same style and to the same standard as the main bathroom.

Around the Villa

Around the extensive terraces, here and there are sets of tables and chairs and a large dinner table seating 10 is positioned outside the kitchen at the shady and private back of the house. This is where the coolest breezes collect being forced into the space behind by the mass of the house and here there are places from which a hammock can be slung. A large portable barbecue is here, but may be moved to wherever it is required. A double staircase rises from this terrace, on one side to the upper part of the gardens, and on the other, to join the steps to the road. Plants chosen for their scent, honeysuckle, jasmine and rose, grow around the house and in the shaded areas in front.

A wide terrace runs around the whole house and leads by two sets of steps to the pool level and by another to the shaded areas. There, in front of the basement is a sunken garden fronted by a high wall broken by three large windows and covered by a timber pergola on which grow a vine and other climbers. Here and along the front edge of the pool wall is a good place to catch the breeze caused as the air rises from the sea and is forced up by the wall.

A large part of the remainder of the land is planted with trees, shrubs and flowers ranging from the exotic to the familiar; banana, orange, mandarin, plum, fig, almond etc etc. Spring starts early here; the almond is in bloom in late February and there is green right through to November and beyond.

The Swimming Pool

Undoubtedly the best private pool (and bigger and better than most hotel pools) in Kalkan, it measures 15m by 7m. Loungers, umbrellas and tables and chairs can be found by the pool. The depths ranging from 1m, flat for 5m, 1m sloping to 2m and 2m flat for a further 5m, are clearly marked at various points and the changes of level on the pool floor are highlighted by strips of dark coloured glass mosaic. Two sets of ladders are positioned at opposite corners. The pool is filled with fresh water and is lightly chlorinated. This is a large pool with low usage and heavy chemical cleaning is not necessary.

The Villa's location

Accessible by car from the coast road to Kas or by track from Kalkan itself the half acre plot is bounded by stone walls with entry through iron gates. The plot slopes heavily from the road towards the sea which is about 200m distant, about 4-5 minutes by foot. The centre of the village is about 2-3 minutes away. The first part of the track is a little rough and is not directly lit at night. From the road there is a long staircase of approximately 100 steps.

Getting there and getting settled in

If you choose to be picked up from the airport then your party will be taken by taxi/aircon minibus, stopping for refreshments if you like, to the villa. The journey lasts about one and a half hours. The villa manager will introduce you to the person who maintains the house and pool. Your luggage will be carried down for you and your will be given a short guide and refreshment. This is a good time to discuss your requirements. Please make it clear how often and at what time you would like cleaning done. Fresh bread, newspapers and other small items can be delivered in the mornings and other small errands run on request. Every attempt will be made to respect your preferences and privacy and to give you only as much attention as you would like. After that you are free to enjoy your holiday. If you arrive during the night, then, of course, this welcome will be conducted the next day after you have had a chance to rest. In any event, a welcome hamper, containing enough provisions to start you off, will be provided.

Should you need it the Villa managers are available at all (reasonable) hours to help you or discuss your requirements and are well qualified to make recommendations on all aspects of your time in Kalkan.

In the area

There are several independent tour organisers who can take you on escorted trips as far as Ephesus, but there is more than enough to see and do within an hours drive. Cars and motor bikes can be rented.

This is the heart of ancient Lycia and there are countless archaeological sites ranging from the important and impressive like Xanthos, which in the summer months, at least, are heavily visited, to the obscure, such as Oenoanda, Arycanda or Cadyanda, which, even in summer, you are quite likely to have to yourselves and which make a pleasant picnic spot away from the heat of the coast. The character of each is uniquely different and often the act of getting there alone will open up a beautiful and wild landscape. Away from the thin veneer of westernisation to be found along the coast you will encounter a rural way of life preserved from long ago.

Village life can be observed at close quarters easily enough, be it in Bezirgan, the summer counterpart to Kalkan, to where many of Kalkan's older villagers still retreat to escape the excesses of the summer heat, or in any of the villages that cling to the range of mountains that form a backdrop to the bay.

Boats of various sizes will take guests as far as Kekova and back in a day or may be chartered for shorter or longer trips for fun or fish . Diving, windsurfing and water skiing and ,apparently, white water canoeing are available.

There are a number of café bars and normal bars, a couple with dancing until very late.

Any number of restaurants cater for expensive or cheap tastes, and for large or small appetites. There is a wide variety of atmospheres to choose from; the smart harbour restaurants, mountain fish restaurants, the relaxed snack and a drink café, the small hours eatery to soak up the alcohol, and more. Turkish cuisine ranks with the best in world. Turkish culinary presentation, attention to detail and standards of service are quite likely to BE the best in the world. Abundant fresh and cheap local ingredients are imaginatively combined even in the most modest eatery. Afiyet olsun.

There is shopping at the weekly market, groceries or in the silver, leather, carpet etc shops.

All this is in summer. After the season, the village slowly shuts up shop, the older people come down from Bezirgan and the village goes back to its normal business. The teashops fill up, all but one or two of the bars close down, the remainder virtually empty except on football nights. The sun grows paler and its empty beaches, cold swims and fishing. Even then long runs of bright sunny weather are not uncommon and November to March is really the time for walkers. An excellent government initiative has recently signposted some of the hundred of miles of goat tracks in the area opening up the possibility of all levels of hiking in the area but if its real wilderness you need then that is only a half hour away. Spring starts in February and is well under way by April. And by May, it is starting to get too hot to do much beyond lying by the pool again.

As for beaches, Kalkan has a 300m long shingle beach of its own, just a few minutes walk from the villa. On a bend of the Kas road about 6 km from the village , where a spectacular gorge breaks through the mountain is the small but perfectly formed sandy beach of Kaputas. Several other small shingle beaches can be found further along in bends the road at least one with an impromptu café. Just on the outskirts of Kas (25km) on the far side are Cucuk and Buyuk Cakil., two shingle beaches with restaurants. In the opposite direction by road the famous turtle beach of Patara can be accessed at various point along its 17km length. It is fine sand. Several arms of the clear and cold Esen Cayi river issue into the sea at various points along its length. Boats will carry you from the harbour to some of the nearby beaches and beach clubs.

Flight info

Depending on UK departure point, Dalaman is between 3 and 3.5 hours by air and Antalya 3.5 to 4 hours. Realistically only Dalaman(1.5hrs transfer time) or Antalya(3hrs) are viable arrival points. The changeover day has been chosen as Monday because there are more UK charters arriving at Dalaman on that day than on any other. Scheduled operators fly daily but not direct to Dalaman. Turkish Airlines has the best connections, but Turkish Cyprus Airlines fly 3 times a week direct from Stanstead to Antalya. However, we understand that it is not always easy to get the flights you want and are happy to help if we can. I have a list of all the charter flight details we know about which can be emailed on request.

Package Holiday companies sell spare seats on the planes they have chartered if the holiday packages themselves have not sold. But often these are priced quite high until very close to departure.Sometimes the companies offer holidays at prices well below the prices of flight only so it is worth looking at these deals and simply not using the accommodation. The main charter users are listed below with links or contact numbers.

Manos 01273 427333 http://www.manos.co.uk/
Manos is good starting point as they deal with a wide variety of charters
Anatolian Skies 0121 325 5500
Sun Quest 020 7499 9991 http://www.sunquestholidays.co.uk/
Cosmos 0800 0159530 http://www.cosmos-holidays.co.uk/
Thomson Direct 0870 550 2555 http://www.thomson-holidays.com/
JMC 0870 555 0440 http://www.jmc.com/
Airtours 0800 028 4934 http://www.airtours.co.uk/
Virgin 01293 432100http://www.virginsun.co.uk/
Unijet 0870 533 6336
First Choice 0870 750 0001 http://www.firstchoice.co.uk/

The main Scheduled Airlines are listed below with links or contact numbers.
Turkish Airlines http://www.turkishairlines.com/
Turkish Cyprus Airlines 0207 930 4851 www.kthy.net/kthy/default.htm/
British Airways http://www.britishairways.com/
Virgin http://www.virginholidays.co.uk/

Some Cheapo Flight websites - no responsibility accepted:
http://www.bargainholidays.com/
http://www.cheapflights.com/
http://www.priceline.com/
http://www.etn.nl/bucketshops/
http://www.rainbow-flights.co.uk/

Some airports will show what flights are being operated
Birmingham http://www.bhx.co.uk - go to the Site Map
Manchester http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/airlines.nsf/CharterQuery!OpenForm
Luton http://www.london-luton.com/
East Midlands no schedules go to dalaman  http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/
Glasgow http://www.glasgow.wk.com
general airport info at http://www.a2bairports.com/

Safety

As in many Mediterranean countries, in Turkey there is small regard for the safety of individuals. As you go around you will notice many unremarked health hazards; unguarded, unlit holes in the road, steps of radically different heights, exposed wiring etc etc. Every attempt has been made to eradicate these obvious sources of danger from the villa and its immediate environs.

However, because of the nature of the land, the place is sloping and heavily terraced, there are many opportunities for harming oneself. The drops around the villa are reasonably well protected by balustrades but if you venture away from paths and terraces, caution must be exercised. The terraces are largely covered by stone and would be fairly unforgiving to the faller. Babies and toddlers would have to be watched very carefully and the elderly or infirm may find the steps and the hilly nature of Kalkan a little too much. There is no need to emphasise the caution which must be exercised around the pool. Please be aware that marble and stone surfaces are treacherous when wet. An extinguisher and portable fire alarms are in the house.

Having said all this, there is no reason why a stay at the villa should not be incident free from a safety perspective, as long a due caution is exercised.

Cleaning and Service info

We aim to do a thorough clean of the interior once a week and light cleaning of the outside surfaces daily. Bagged rubbish can be left outside and will be disposed of. This part of the village is not particularly dusty. Nevertheless the outside terraces will be regularly hosed down.

Bedding and towels are provided and will be changed once a week.

The gardener/pool man will run simple errands. Fresh provisions like milk, bread, papers etc can be ordered the previous day to be available for breakfast. You will probably want to do most of your shopping yourselves, at the weekly market perhaps, but if you find you do need anything at any time during the day such as cigarettes, or change of gas bottle, he will happy to help. When he is around, he will also be pleased to carry bags, beach bags, shopping, crates of beer etc., up or down the steps or perform any other reasonable tasks for you. Please show your appreciation.